ESTEMERE 1901
From Anne McCarroll
On 03 October 2000 I received the following email:
Hi, I was delighted to come across your site. My
grandmother was born in
Colorado and was a close friend of Cora Smith (Carnahan). She married an
Irishman and came to live in Ireland in 1893. In 1901 she made a return
visit and spent some time with Cora at Palmer. We have a few photos from
that visit including one of the carriage house with their party ready to set
out on a trip and also two postcards. I had always been under the
impression that the carriage house photo was from Hamill House in
Georgetown. Your house is really lovely and it is so wonderful to see
historic houses and their history being cherished as they deserve. Best of
luck in all your efforts, A.
The email address ended in .ie, meaning Ireland! Wow! I immediately emailed back asking for more information. On 09 October I received this reply:
Hi Roger,
We visited Hamill House ourselves in December 98. I remember to biting
cold
better than the carriage house!
My grandmother was Fanny Watson, daughter of Joseph W. Watson and Fanny
Hamill Watson. Hamill House was my grandmother's birthplace. The
Watson's home was sold to William Hamill, my great-grandmother's brother,
when my grandmother was a few years old.
My great-grandparents were very close friends of Emily and Eben Smith and
my grandmother was a great friend of Cora. It was while on a tour of
Europe
with Cora that my grandmother met my grandfather on the Riviera.
From correspondence dated 1901 I knew that she had been staying with Cora at
Palmer, unfortunately no details about the visit or the house are included.
I should say your information about Cora taking over the house in December
1909 is correct as we have a letter of that date with the tidings of Emily
Smith's death. I have asked my father about Estemere (he is now
approaching his 97th birthday) but he has no information to add.
I have hunted up the photos and postcards at home and got scanned copies
made which I will put in the post. The photo shop isn't on the net yet and
the web cafe doesn't have a replacement scanner yet so this is the next best
arrangement. I haven't been able to locate the negatives of the
photographs but if they should turn up in the future I will get copies made
as the black and white is much better in the original. I'm sorry I
couldn't
send you the photos as they are not mine and Daddy is reluctant to part with
any link.
Daddy was delighted with the news that I had seen your site on the net. He
has often spoken of his mother and her memories of home and her people.
Because so many of the men mentioned as friends and business associates of
Joe Watson were quite influential in Colorado's history I have been able to
locate the odd snippet of information on the net. I came across a site for
Dunhill's Antiques a few months ago which had a very fine KPM porcelain of
Eben Smith for sale. Small world!!
Best wishes,
Anne Mc Carroll
On the 17th of October I received this
email:
Hi Roger,
Nice to hear from you. I wish I was able to provide you with more
information about Estemere but ill health prevented my grandmother from
making any more journeys to America after that of 1901.
My father remembers her speaking of the house they had in Denver which was
subsequently sold to Horace Tabor. As like so many others, Joe Watson
speculated on mining and lost several fortunes, dying penniless. Of
Estemere however Daddy does not remember hearing anything.
My father did not correspond with any American relatives and shortly after
my aunt died in 1952 all communication ceased and it was only when I started
checking on the internet in 1997 that I discovered that we had a second
cousin of my father still alive and living in Denver.
I am not aware whether he is still alive or not but if you wish to contact
him yourself in the offchance that he has some photos of Estemere his
address is: Mr. William B Howland, 2700 East Dartmouth, Denver, CO 80210
His grandmother Josephine (Joe) Howland, my grandmother's sister, was also
a friend and guest at Estemere.
I hope you receive the scanned photos soon. By the way I live in Ireland,
land of rain and neverending puddles! My poor grandmother
corresponded
with my grandfather for more than a year before they got married and she
expressed the belief that the Irish air would improve her health!
Best wishes, Anne
(Anne has corresponded with David Forsyth about
Cora and the Eben Smith family.)
I received the photos on the 17th of
October. I scanned them and you can see them here:
